I woke up to the light buzz in my pocket and a sore neck. I reached around under me to find my phone and finally got a grip on it, answering the call without looking at the caller ID.
“Hello?” My voice was groggy and raspy from sleep. I squinted through my drowsy lids and saw the sun just about to rise in the horizon. I didn’t dare straighten my legs, knowing that they’ll feel stiff from being folded all night long.
‘If my back is in this much pain, God have mercy on my legs,’ I thought silently with a wince while trying to stretch a little.
“It’s me. I just wanted to tell you that we finally managed to calm the idiot, knowing you’re probably worried about him,” I heard Preston say into the line and I immediately perk up at that.
“Is there a park nearby where we can meet up? I think it’s going to be better to not talk about this over the phone,” I replied and I could hear his frown though I couldn’t see his face.
“Aren’t you hours away by now?” I laughed nervously at that.
“Yeah, about that...”
A couple of minutes later, I was sitting on a bench in a park that was a few minutes away from the Jones’ house. There were a couple of swings and a slide along with a small sandbox; a small green bucket that was upturned on top of the sand.
The morning breeze blew and I hugged the coat tighter around my body, trying to block the chill that was slowly seeping through the thin material.
I heard a set of feet jogging up to the bench and turned around to see Preston. I Scooted over to give him some room and he plopped down on the bench, sliding down and resting the back of his neck on the back of the bench.
I could see how worn out he was by the faint but definitely existent dark rings around his eyes. He was wearing a grey hoodie and joggers along with black colored shoes. His headphones hung around his neck and his hands were stuffed into the pockets of his hoodie.
“So did you find out about anything?” I asked him, staring at the motionless swing the whole time ever since he sat.
He hummed in response, letting out a deep groan before sitting up straight and telling me everything he managed to gather from his brother that seemed to have completely lost it.
“Apparently, he has grown to believe that you’ve killed our mother,” was Preston’s first sentence and I released a breath at that; the accusations and yelling proved as much.
I didn’t interrupt him and remained silent, deciding to let him finish talking before making any comments.
“After you left, my dad and I tried to get him to calm down and prevent him from going after you. He threw a few punches but the knife was kicked away by Dad after it was dropped on the floor.
Someone has been drilling things into my brother’s head and since he’s lost a part of his memory, he was drinking it up gullibly.”
Preston sighed, rubbed his eyes and took his time to calm down before speaking up and continuing again.
“Aside from believing that you killed our mother, he also thinks that you’re lying to us by pretending to be on our side. He believes that when our mother was in the hospital, you sneaked into her room and injected her with something that caused her death,” he muttered in disgust.
Meanwhile, I was rooted on my seat and didn’t dare move my eyes away from that swing. This was what my ex-boyfriend thought of me this whole time.
“Oh goody,” I grumbled under my breath, my patience growing thin. If I ever find whoever was feeding this shit load of bull to Adam, I’m going to skin him alive and use it to decorate some tree in one of the forests.
“Yeah,” Preston snorted and I thought that was it but turns out, there was more.
“Not only that, he also claimed that he saw it himself. He claimed that he has seen proof,” I looked at him in disbelief at that.
“No, you’re shitting me,” I half-whispered, narrowing my eyes in confusion and bewilderment. There’s no way such pictures exist because, newsflash! I’ve never done it!
“I know, it’s not possible, all you’ve ever tried to do was help us and I don’t believe that you would have the heart to kill someone.”
I shook my head slowly, it doesn’t make sense. Why would these people try to brainwash Adam in such a way? And there must be something left in Adam that tells him otherwise every time someone accuses me of such a thing.
Then, I remembered the state Adam was in and turned to Preston.
“Did you get to find out about what happened to him last night?” Unfortunately, all I got in return was a shake of his head, no.
“Did you at least get to assess his wounds after he calmed down?” Preston’s been living under the same roof as Adam all this time, he’d know things about wounds and scars since Adam was a street fighter even before he met me.
He nodded, looking deep in thought and I awaited any information he can give me about the cuts, the dirt clinging onto him and just about anything he can give me.
“All I can tell from the short glimpses was that it wasn’t a deep cut, something like a graze and a sprain to the leg but otherwise, I see no more external injuries.”
I released the breath that I was holding and shook my head. I didn’t know what to do or how to find out what made him think the way he did. All I knew was that I’d be damned if this thing doesn’t get straightened out.
Just when I wanted to ask Preston whether he was sure he didn’t find anything else, my phone buzzed, signaling an incoming call.
I reached to my back pocket and fished it out, answering without looking at the caller ID.
“Case, the new schedule just came in and you’re up tonight.” Levy’s voice greeted me, sounding a bit distracted. I rubbed my forehead.
Right, the fight; How could I forget.
“Okay, thanks Lev.”
Preston’s eyes looked at my weary face. I knew he saw my eyes droop when I remembered the fight and I immediately prepared to rebut any arguments he was probably going to throw my way.
We’ve talked about this and I’ve pointed out that no matter what he said, I had to do this to protect everyone. That guy will hunt everyone I love and hurt them if I won’t do this and I can’t let that happen. Not after what happened to Adam.
He’s been closed off from his family since the night he woke up and I would be lying if I said it didn’t worry me. The words he said last night stung more than it should have. It shouldn’t have mattered. It wasn’t my Adam.
But he was wearing Adam’s face and that hurt most of all. To know that my Adam was possibly gone forever and this Adam took his spot. The guy who thinks I’m Carla’s murderer. To think that I could’ve prevented this in the first place caused me the most pain. It didn’t have to end this way. All the choices I took, all the times that I could’ve walked away from this whole messed up street fighting world when it was still as simple as that.
“You’re not going to re-enter are you?” Preston asked and I could only sigh.
“You know the answer to that question, Pres. You know I can’t back out now. I’ve dragged you into the middle of this and I have to end it; one way or another. It’s my fight.”
Preston took a look at my determined face and looked away. He knew he can’t change my mind even if he’s going to rant my ears off for the next hour.
“Do you even know what this guy wants? Who he is? Why is he even doing this? His brother chose to enter with a broken leg; it’s not your fault,” Preston argued to no one in particular. His words made sense but the guilt that was still implanted in me deflected everything and prevented them from making me feel better.
“I don’t know who he is. All I know is that he wants revenge for his brother and I can’t blame him because even though I didn’t mean to, I broke him. I injured his brother’s leg and messed up his mental health and by doing that, I broke him. The pain he’s probably going through every time he sees his brother sitting in that chair staring into nothingness must be torture itself.” My voice was laced with pity, guilt and empathy.
I would take it all back if I could, figure out another way to win without aiming for his leg. I would do anything to take his pain away.
Preston seemed to sense my distress and reached out to opened up his arms to let me huddle closer and let him comfort me. I didn’t have anyone to turn to lately and he was the only one who knew about my secret and doesn’t resent me.
Surprisingly, Preston turns out to be a not so bad companion during these times. It was nice; to have someone hold you and not question anything else.
“I wish this would blow over soon so that he’d be calmer. Sometimes, I wonder how you handled him before that crash happened,” I smiled despite the first sentence.
“I love him enough to see past everything else. Nothing else mattered,” I let the smile slip after a while.
We both knew that this would never blow over. It was something that won’t end even if we waited for a millennium. It wasn’t something that will go away if we leave it alone.
The only way to stop all of this chaos is to fight.
I once had the choice to fight or to run but with everything that has happened, I don’t think I have a choice anymore.
After a moment of silence, I decided that it’s best to head back to get ready for the fight. I bid Preston goodbye and told him to give me a heads up if he discovers anything else about what Adam has been up to.
The car door clicked shut and I released an exhausted breath. My neck hurt from the curled position I slept in last night and I tried to knead the spot while starting the engine.
It’s going to be a long way home.